Tag: Lessons

Aren’t You A Christian?

I thought you were a Christian, so…

How do you vote that way?

How come you hang out with those type of people?

How do you know rap lyrics? (Mostly 80’s rap).

How do you listen to non-Christian music?

What makes you struggle and questions today’s Church?

I thought you were a Christian, so…

How can you watch certain shows and movies?

How can you support those movements?

How do you not support certain political candidates or party?

Are you sure your a Christian?

OMG, YES.

I am a whole and imperfect Christian.

Has the church and its people forgotten what that means?

It means I need Jesus in every way possible, because I am a sinner.

It does not mean I have all the answers to life. It does not mean I have life figured out. It does not mean I suddenly like every Christian song or movie ever made.

It means one thing and one thing only:

I am a Christian because I love Jesus.

The truth is, I stray outside of the lines of American Christianity. I do not fit in a neat little perfectly wrapped box. I sometimes can be like that crazy relative we all have.

But that’s exactly what drove me to Jesus in the first place. His grace shines most in my shortcomings.

So if you see me trip up and get a little dirty, don’t assume that I have lost my way.

I am running toward Jesus, but it’s a long, long marathon. I am a Christian who desperately needs Christ.

So how do I respond when people question my faith? When they expect perfection from a deeply flawed individual?

Well, I keep loving Jesus, keep loving others, and keep leaning hard into Grace.

Because I know without a doubt I need Grace every day.

I love Jesus…but I refuse to live in that perfect little box. ~OC

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Keep Overcoming

The enemy will try to knock you down. Keep Overcoming. The enemy will tell you your not good enough. Keep Overcoming. The enemy will try to put fear & doubt in your mind. Keep Overcoming. Whatever the enemy throws at you today, Keep Overcoming. ~OC

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Where Are You Running?

At some point in this journey called life, we will face a giant. That giant could be a health issue, a financial need, a career decision or a relationship struggle. These giants can hit us out of nowhere. Sometimes we want to wish our giants away. But we know we cannot just wish these giants away.

Each day these giants are staring you in the face. These giants just will not go away. Sometimes these giants can define us. These giants can overshadow all the great things going on in our lives.

The giants can turn a beautiful life into a hopeless and joyless existence. So what do most people do when facing giants? We usually run away from the giants in our lives.

Where are you running to? When Goliath was raising havoc over Israel, the people were running away from this giant. Except for one boy. When David showed up he had a different plan. He decided to face Goliath head on. No running away for David. No, David had a plan. He had a sling shot and five smooth stone. He only needed one. Most importantly, God was standing with David. God had prepared David to take Goliath down. David decided to run towards what everyone else was running from.

Are you running towards your giant or away from the giant in your life? Our journey is not about running away from our giants, but facing them head on. Maybe we do not have a sling shot and stone, but we have to have a plan. When we decide to run towards our giants, we must run with purpose.

After you decide to face your giants, make sure your running towards God. Only through him can we face and defeat our giants. Trust God with the giants in your life. He will give us the tools to defeat every giant that comes our way. God is our safe place. When we are facing our giants, putting our hope and trust in God is the only way. God will give us victory over every giant we face in life. Run towards that victory. ~OC

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Eternity

Today’s a new day! As I think about sitting at the feet of Jesus for eternity, all my trials and worries seem so small. ~OC

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Reach Out

Good Morning! God put this on my heart this morning. ~OC

By its very nature, adversity brings uncertainty, confusion and isolation.  It is difficult to talk about these things, and so many who suffer feel they need to bear their burdens alone. 
 
When we are walking through the storms of life, we need our brothers and sisters in Christ. Through our own suffering we have witnessed in the lives of others, how profoundly we need one another as followers of Christ.

Since the beginning of time, we see the importance of family, friends and groups coming together to serve and love each other.

And let us not neglect our meeting together,
as some people do,
but encourage one another,
especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10:25

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Make Life About Living

As I walked through my crazy beautiful health journey, I was blessed to learn many amazing lessons. Here are just a few of those lessons:

*Try Something New: Go skydiving, snorkeling, do a road trip with friends, or feed the hungry. It doesn’t matter what you do, just take a step outside of your comfort zone.

*Time With Family and Friends: I know during this pandemic that can be difficult. Maybe you cannot meet in person, but you can utilize Zoom or FaceTime. During that time put away all distractions. You might find out how amazing your family and friends really are.

*Capture Memories: I know everyone wants to document their adventures with pictures and videos, but don’t forget to truly experience the moment.

*Say No: Stop adding things to your plate. If you continuously say yes, you are going to miss out on life. Plus burn yourself out.

*Take Time For Yourself: It might only be for a few minutes, but do it. Spend time in prayer. Go for a walk. Read a book. Do something just for you.

*Encourage Someone: Everyone needs some uplifting words. It takes just a minute, but can change a life.

*Call or Text: Take time to call or text a loved one. This simple act could make their day.

*Say I Love You: Don’t miss the chance to tell your loved ones how you feel about them. Life is too short. ~OC

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